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ASSOCIATES B ordinary eyondthe Anthony Farris has mentored military lawyers in Afghanistan and also gets lots of courtroom time as a JAG prosecutor. BY NAOMI CARNIOL Kandahar, Afghanistan. The tent looks like the ones in the TV show M*A*S*H — quite a contrast from the plush Hali- fax law office where the Nova Scotia-born lawyer articled. After breakfast, Farris heads to Camp Hero, an Afghan mili- tary base. Farris has been sent to Afghanistan by the Cana- dian Forces to mentor Afghan military lawyers. It's the first time a Canadian has served in this role. And it's not easy. Many Afghan military lawyers have no formal legal training. There's also a language barrier. Farris, who was called to the bar in 2002, must use a trans- lator to speak to the lawyers. But he's determined. This is exactly what he signed up for. You could say the military J anuary 2008: Maj. An- thony Farris eats breakfast in a tent on a small base in school, Farris especially en- joyed classes on criminal and international law. After arti- cling at a firm that didn't have a practice in either area, Far- ris began searching for some- where he could pursue his ar- eas of choice. Enter the JAG — Office of is in his blood. His grandfa- ther fought in the Second World War. As a teenager in Kent- ville, N.S., Farris joined the cadets where he learned how to wear a uniform and how to march. At 17, he joined the army reserves. He used the money he earned to pay for his under- graduate degree. During the week, he studied psychology at Acadia University, and on weekends, he learned how to shoot rifles as part of an infantry unit. In 1998, he enrolled at the University of New Brunswick's law school. He left the reserves to focus on his studies. In law 14 FEBRU AR Y 2009 www. C ANADIAN Law ye rmag.com Canadian Maj. Anthony Farris, right, with Afghanistan's head of the general staff legal, Brig.-Gen. Shir Mohammed Zazai, in Kandahar. the Judge Advocate General, the military's legal branch. Some JAG legal officers spe- cialize in criminal law, acting as prosecutors when soldiers or officers break the law. Oth- ers work in international law, providing the Canadian Forces with advice on international treaties. In January 2003, Farris became a JAG officer. At first, he worked in international law, advising the Forces on the implications of proposed addi- tions to weapons treaties. His work brought him to meetings in Norway, Singapore, and the United Nations in Geneva. In 2004, he was posted to Banja Luka, Bosnia. As brigade legal adviser, he helped the of- ficer in charge of soldiers deal with any legal issues that arose. For Farris, the two-month deployment was "a little daunting." In Ottawa, he was surrounded by a team of lawyers he could confer with. In Bosnia, the young lawyer was on his own. "You are the one that people are turning to and if they need advice [quickly], you have to be prepared to give them an answer." He gives an example. The Canadian Forces in Bosnia were involved in gathering intelligence, but locals wouldn't speak candidly to soldiers wearing uniforms. "So the question came